Andrea knew when she married John Sheldon that her love was not returned, but they both stayed in the marriage for their own reasons. Now John is returning home from a five-year stint in prison, and while Andrea wants him home, she knows his return will upset the life she and the children have adjusted to in his absence. But she hopes his homecoming will offer them a second chance at marriage.

John is apprehensive about how he will be received, but he is returning a different man. While incarcerated, he committed his life to Christ and wants to hold fast to his newfound faith. Andrea is wary of his conversion, son Billy is delighted, and daughter Rebekah is skeptical. Six-year-old Phoebe doesn’t remember her father and is withdrawn. Can John and Andrea mend the rifts that have torn their family apart?

Reviews of this bookA husband who has been in prison for five years returns home to his family. He finds a broken marriage and only one of his three children, a teenage boy with Down syndrome, truly happy that he’s home. The two daughters are both estranged from their dad, with the teen angry and acting out, and the younger shy with the man she doesn’t remember. Holding the family together by his good cheer, childlike faith, and tension-breaking honesty is the son Billy.

The Returning is a well-written family story that explores the betrayals behind all this brokenness. It doesn’t minimize the damage caused by sin or the difficulty in pursuing reconciliation—but its tone is always hopeful. –Susan Olasky, World Magazine, Feb. 14, 2009 issue

The Returning is a fascinating story of a broken family moving toward healing and wholeness. This novel will appeal to both teenage and adult readers. –CBA Retailers and Resources Review